Playing in the White Mountain Holiday Classic in Lakeside, the Wildcats of Joseph City posted a 3-3 mark in their six games.
Facing the host team in the first of two pool play games the Cats battled the Blue Ridge Yellowjackets through a very physical game, but fell short, losing 40-35. The game was knotted at 18-18 at the half and the teams played even in the fourth quarter. Blue Ridge held a five-point advantage in the third period, which ended up being the final cushion.
“I have to give credit to Blue Ridge, which played a very tight man defense, giving us problems on offense. We were never able to get going offensively the entire game,” said Coach Eric Miller.
In their second pool play game the Cats bounced back with a 71-48 win over Sedona Red Rock. Joseph City turned a sloppy first half full of turnovers and breakdowns into a strong second half surge.
“We were ahead by just two at the half, but we got things together and outscored them by 21 in the second half,” added Coach Miller.
With the split in pool play the Wildcats ended up as the second seed from their pool. They then matched up with Benson in the first round of bracket play on Thursday. As in their previous games at the tournament, the Wildcats struggled on offense and relied on their defense to keep them in the game. In the second half they turned some easy points into enough momentum to win the game 52-47.
“Once again we played solid on defense, but struggled on offense. We got a couple of easy put backs and some lay-ups off drives that got us going in the second half,” said the Joseph City coach.
With that win the Cats advanced in the bracket to face Willow Canyon from Surprise. Facing a school with an enrollment of nearly 2,000 students, the Cats were outmatched and lost the game 78-50.
‘We tried to keep them outside, but they got hot from the three-point line, which really hurt us. We were never able to find our rhythm on offense or defense in this game,” said Coach Miller.
That loss dropped them into a match-up with Canyon State Academy of Queen Creek on Friday. Joseph City was dominated on the boards, giving up too many second chance points in the first half, and trailed 39-16 at the half. In the second half the Cats took better care of the glass, but still fell short, losing the game 70-37.
“They were a very athletic and physical team. In the first half they piled up 15 offensive boards and a lot of easy second chance points. We made it our focus in the second half to box out, and gave up only one offensive board. Unfortunately, by that time we were already down and never recovered,” added Coach Miller.
The Cats played their final game of the tournament against Round Valley. A quick start saw them open up an eight-point margin, but in the second quarter the momentum shifted to Round Valley’s Elks, who led by four at the half. Throughout the second half Joseph City regrouped, though, and secured a 49-45 win.
“We started off hot, and after being down four at the half we executed much better in the second half and outscored them by eight to get the win,” concluded Coach Miller.
The Wildcats are currently 6-7 on the year. They began the New Year with a road trip to St. Michael on Thursday.
